By Bridget Miles – Chief Executive Mama of www.mamamilesfiles.com 

Today we are going to my favorite place in the entire world: Italy. There are so many things the Italians do right: wine, pasta, cheese, sarcasm and Nutella. So let’s close our eyes and take a trip to Florence. Imagine yourself sitting on a bench surrounded by beautiful, rustic buildings with the smell of fresh produce from a farm stand and all the while eating a Nutella croissant.

But first, how did Nutella come to be? According to the world’s most reliable source, Wikipedia:

Pietro Ferrero, who owned a bakery in Alba, Piedmont, an area known for the production of hazelnuts, sold an initial batch of 300 kilograms (660 lb) of “Pasta Gianduja” in 1946. This was originally a solid block, but Ferrero started to sell a creamy version in 1951 as “Supercrema.” In 1963, Ferrero’s son Michele Ferrero revamped Supercrema with the intention of marketing it throughout Europe. Its composition was modified and it was renamed “Nutella.” The first jar of Nutella left the Ferrero factory in Alba on April 20, 1964. The product was an instant success and remains widely popular.

The Nutella croissant is pure bliss. The one pictured here is from Cafe Boulud (crafted by a highly acclaimed Parisian chef); but Nutella is quintessentially Italian so we’re still on with our staycation in Italy.

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One sexy beast, this croissant will have you asking Mr. Boulud “che cazzo fai did I do to deserve this?”. It’s brilliantly and generously stuffed with Nutella and has been painted with a baked Nutella glaze. It’s flakey crust and fluffy insides provide the perfect vessel for the heaping amount of hazelnut and chocolate goodness filled inside. The price is a bit steep at $4.50, but it’s still a heck of a lot cheaper than a ticket to Italia.

If you can’t make it to Boulud, try this equally divine recipe for Nutella Monkey Bread Muffins from Sugar & Cloth while listening to my favorite Italian artist, Malika Ayane, sing “Tre Cose.” Buon appetito!

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Ingredients (makes five muffins):

  • 1 package of Pillsbury grands buttermilk biscuits (with 8 biscuits)
  • 1/2 cup nutella (this varies depending on how much nutella you stuff in the monkey bread)
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Pop out the biscuits and tear each into three pieces. Put all the pieces in a plastic bag with the cocoa powder, and shake so the powder covers all the biscuit pieces.
  3. Take out the biscuit pieces and dab some Nutella in the center of each.
  4. Wrap the edges over the Nutella, like you’re wrapping a gift, into the shape of a ball. Repeat until you’ve stuffed Nutella in each piece.
  5. Fill a lightly greased muffin tin with the biscuit pieces. Don’t make the mounds too high as the biscuits expands.
  6. Drizzle melted butter over muffins, then bake for 30 minutes. Lower the temp to 325 if they start to brown at 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with powdered sugar.